1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus that enables automatic cancellation and sorting of used or new playing cards, and in particular to an apparatus that collects cards following use in casino games, marks the cards so that they cannot be re-used in a casino game, and sorts the cards into decks for sale or distribution to the public.
The invention also relates to a automated used-card handling apparatus capable of verifying whether a used deck of cards are complete and cancelling/sorting or destroying the cards depending on the type of cards in the deck, the condition of the cards, and whether the deck is complete.
Finally, the invention relates to a card sorting apparatus that utilizes card escrow spools to hold cards during sorting, thereby eliminating the need for complex and relatively slow tray-moving mechanisms.
2. Description of Related Art
The gaming industry uses many decks of playing cards each day in order to maintain a high quality and integrity level of cards on each table. Cards are used for a limited time, such as one day or even one shift, and then they must be collected. Due to the possible fraud and cheating that could take place, the used cards are collected and controlled by the casino's security staff and the card management team. All cards are counted and then marked in some fashion to make sure they cannot be re-used in a live game at the casino.
The most common methods of marking the cards is to shave off card edges, or punch/drill holes in the card. The cards, which have printed designs unique to the casinos that use the cards, may then be re-packaged and made available for charity give-aways, or resale as souvenirs or collectibles. To get these decks back into full decks after the canceling process, casinos typically employ persons or contract with outside companies or state agencies, such as bureaus of prisons, to manually sort the cards into complete decks that can be packaged and sold or given away by the casinos.
Casino gaming tables are commonly assigned 6 to 12 decks of cards based on what type of game is being played. This amounts to over 600 decks of cards per day for a medium to large sized casino. The card decks are used for one 8-hour or 24-hour shift, and then collected, verified, and marked as used. If any cards are found missing the casino must switch to a new color or design of card to make the missing cards invalid in any live game. As a result, counting and sorting of cards is a significant expense for casinos.
To reduce expenses associated with card counting and sorting, it has previously been proposed to provide apparatus capable of automatically playing cards after their use in casino games. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,131 discloses an apparatus for voiding playing cards by using pairs of rotary cutting implements to deface the cards so that they cannot be re-used. However, such apparatus does not facilitate sorting of the cards for re-distribution to the public, which is a very labor-intensive process. To the contrary, the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,131 effectively destroys the cards and feeds them to a waste bin, with no provision for recovery of the cards, much less sorting them. The same results could be obtained by simply feeding the cards to a conventional shredder.
On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,632 discloses an automatic card sorter designed to shuffle cards for re-use, or to sort the cards into decks for re-distribution. To accomplish this, the apparatus identifies each of the cards and sends them into one of a plurality of trays according to a randomizing or sorting algorithm. To accommodate all shuffling and sorting possibilities, the sorter described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,632 is required to provide at least as many trays as the number of different cards in a deck to be sorted, or at least fifty two trays. As a result, the apparatus has the disadvantages that (i) the trays must be moved into position one at a time in a predetermined sequence, resulting in a sorting process that is relatively inefficient for many types of sorts, (ii) the large number of trays required adds to the size and complexity of the apparatus, and (iii) cancelling of the cards must be carried out manually or by a separate apparatus.
While the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,632 is not capable of canceling playing cards during a sort, and is mechanically inefficient, the patent does usefully point out that there are there are estimated to be “some 10,000 BLACKJACK tables in America” and that these tables use over “30 million decks each year, most being sorted back to original (‘new’) order by hand.” Unfortunately, the patent does not appreciate that the decks must not only be sorted, but also canceled. A need clearly exists for a more efficient way to sort these decks, and to cancel the decks as well.